New Delhi, July 18
The office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) has issued notices to colleges affiliated to Panjab University, Punjabi University and Guru Nanak Dev University for violating the provisions of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.

Deputy Chief Commissioner, Disabilities Anuradha Mohit told TNS here today that these colleges were found to have overlooked Section 33 of the PWD Act which provides for 3 per cent reservation in jobs to persons with disabilities. Colleges which have been sent notices are Khalsa College for Women, Amristar, Akal Degree College, Mastuana, Sangrur, S.D. Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Mansa, Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, Gujarkhan Campus, Ludhiana and G.H.G. Harparkash College of Education for Women, Sidhwan Khurd, Ludhiana.

According to the aforesaid provision, every establishment which is wholly or substantially funded by the government is obliged to provide three per cent reservation in jobs for persons with disabilities. “To ensure that the rights of disabled persons are protected, the CCPD has taken several initiatives which include monitoring employment advertisements and admission notices. In the last two years, we have taken suo motu action against over 900 institutes of which nearly 600 were educational institutions, universities and colleges. Of these, 320 were flouting provision of three per cent reservation in jobs for disabled persons,’’ Ms Mohit said.

She said that the commission had taken suo motu cognisance of these violations. “In the course of our routine exercise, we came across advertisements in several newspapers, including The Tribune, where colleges had not mentioned reservation in jobs for physically handicapped persons.’’

Taking cognisance of an advertisement dated July 15 for posts of lecturer, the commission has pointed out that the G.H.G. Harparkash College of Education for Women, Sidhwan Khurd, has given “no indication’’ regarding reservation for physically handicapped persons in accordance with Section 33 of the PWD Act. It has directed the college to submit its written reply within 20 days and not later than August 10.

S.D. Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Mansa, Akal Degree College, Mastuana, Sangrur, and Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana, which advertised for posts of lecturer on July 8 have also been sent notices for similar omissions on reservations for disabled persons.

In its reply to a notice issued on June 1, Khalsa College for Women, Amritsar which advertised posts of lecturer of information technology and computer science, stated, “The College Management has not committed any violation of Section 33 of the PWD Act, 1995, by not mentioning the reservation for the physically handicapped persons in the advertisement. The posts advertised are of such type and specified category for which no physically handicapped or disabled person can be employed.’’

The Khalsa College Society, Amritsar, has contended that the posts advertised are specifically meant for candidates of general category and the college management should therefore be exempted from the provision of Section 33 of the Disabilities Act.

Commenting on the aforesaid reply, Ms Mohit said that no establishment can exempt itself from Section 33 of the Act. “The appropriate government alone has the authority to provide exemption on the merits of the case. The government has to cite reasons for providing exemption in the notification of exemption.’’

Ms Mohit said that she plans to summon the colleges by early August for a hearing to save time.